The light had to be burning from sunset to sunrise every day and during any daytime storms that obscured visibility. Keeping the light lit may seem like a simple task, but in reality there was a lot of work involved in maintaining a lighthouse. Sketch of a First Order Fresnel Lens in a lantern room. Later, additional housing would be built to accommodate the Keepers and their families. These three Keepers were housed in the 1812 Keeper's Quarters and 1812 Lighthouse. This allowed each Keeper to work one 24-hour period followed by two days off. Shortly before the second tower was completed, two Assistant Keepers were appointed to the Cape Lookout Light Station. In 1857, Congress appropriated money for the creation of a new lighthouse at Cape Lookout, which was completed two years later. Following the development of the Lighthouse Board, funding for the replacement and repair of lighthouses increased. Unfortunately, the light from this 107-foot tall tower only reached about 12 miles out to sea and complaints were soon made about the effectiveness of this lighthouse. A Keeper's Quarters was built near the light to house the Keeper and his family since he might be called upon at any time, in the event of a sudden storm, to light the light. As with most lighthouses, one Keeper was assigned to the station to maintain the light. The first Cape Lookout lighthouse was authorized by Congress in 1804 and completed in 1812. ![]() A comparison of the 1812 (left) and 1859 Cape Lookout lighthouses Cape Lookout Lighthouse(s)
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